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Lindsay Crosby Suicide Laid to End of Inheritance Income

Lindsay Crosby, the youngest son of Bing Crosby from the famed crooner's first marriage, shot himself to death in a Las Virgenes apartment after learning that the inheritance he relied on to support his family was gone, a family spokeswoman said Tuesday.

Just 11 days earlier, Crosby and his three brothers had been told by attorneys that the oil investments their late mother, Wilma Wyatt, made for them had gone broke, said Marilyn Reiss, spokeswoman for Lindsay's older brother, Gary.

For Lindsay, the news was the "last straw" after years of battling alcoholism, depression and the strain of living under the shadow of his famous father, Reiss said.

"Maybe if he had been a meaner person, he could have handled it," Reiss reported Gary Crosby saying after learning of his brother's death. "He was too sensitive."

Crosby, 51, was found dead late Monday afternoon from a single gunshot wound to his head. A small-caliber rifle was nearby.

Crosby had been staying at the apartment on Bravo Lane while undergoing treatment for alcoholism in nearby Calabasas, Reiss said. He was due to return home to his third wife, Susan, and two sons in Sherman Oaks this weekend, she said. Crosby had two other sons by previous marriages.

Alcoholism was only one of many problems that seemed to dog Lindsay, Reiss said. He had a nervous breakdown in 1962, went through two divorces and was arrested several times for drunk driving and battery.

He never held a steady job, and his own attempts at an entertainment career, including appearances in such low-budget films as "The Glory Stompers," and "Free Grass," were dismal failures.

In 1983, Lindsay sided with his brother, Gary, who had written a book, "Going My Own Way," in which he described Bing Crosby as an abusive tyrant who beat his sons.

"I hope it clears up a lot of old lies," Lindsay said at the time.

Bing Crosby married actress Kathryn Grant in 1957 and raised a second family. At his death in 1977 at age 73, he left his money in a blind trust, which none of the sons--whose youthful escapades were well documented by the news media--could touch until age 65.

Phillip Crosby, another of the Crosby brothers, said in a magazine interview six years ago: "My father thought, 'How much trouble will they be able to get into then?' "

Reiss said the recent glut in the oil markets wreaked havoc on Wyatt's investments. Gary Crosby told Reiss that the four brothers, who also include Dennis, Phillip's twin, were shocked.

But he said for himself: "My life is one shock after another. I'll find a job as a backup singer, or a gofer on a studio lot."

No one knew the depth of Lindsay 's despair--except now, in retrospect, Reiss said.

Lindsay Crosby, 51, A Son of Bing, Dead

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 12— Lindsay Crosby, a son of the entertainer Bing Crosby, was found dead in his home in Calabasas, a Los Angeles suburb, apparently a suicide. He was 51 years old.

The body was found by a neighbor on Monday afternoon. The authorities said Mr. Crosby appeared to have shot himself in the head. A Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy, Bill Linnemeyer, said a small-caliber rifle was found nearby. An autopsy was scheduled for today. Mr. Crosby was the youngest of four sons born to Bing and Dixie Lee Crosby. He and his brothers, Gary, Phillip and Dennis, worked together for a time in a nightclub act, the Crosby Boys, but broke up in 1959. He then went to work reading scripts for his father.

When his brother Gary's 1983 book, ''Going My Own Way,'' portrayed their father as a stern disciplinarian, Mr. Crosby said he supported publication of the book. ''I never expected affection from my father so it didn't bother me,'' he said in an interview.

Mr. Crosby was married three times and had four sons. He and his third wife, the former Susan Marlin, separated in the late 1970's.

Lindsay Croby

Lindsay Harry Crosby was born on January 5, 1938. His name was inspired by Bing’s close friend and thoroughbred horse racing partner, Lindsay Howard. “The smallest of the small fry” also appeared on A Crosby Christmas, singing “I’d Like to Hitch a Ride with Santa Claus.” Lindsay, the closest to his mother, was distraught by her death. To help console him, Bing took him out of school in March 1953. They went on an extended tour of Europe, including an audience with Pope Pious XII.

Before their departure, Bing and Lindsay recorded several duets that were broadcast on Bing’s General Electric Show during their travels. Although the radio broadcasts announced that the recordings were made in France, they were actually recorded in Palm Springs. The series also spotlighted several Lindsay solos. The following year, Lindsay joined Bing and Gary for several nostalgic barbershop routines on the General Electric Show. Lindsay also contributed several solos and duets to The Bing Crosby Show (1954-56) where his radio banter with his father revealed a keen sense of comedy timing. In addition, Lindsay was a special guest on Bing’s legendary Edsel Show in 1957. Lindsay would later remark, “I don’t know of many fathers who gave more consideration to their children.”

With Bing’s help, Lindsay got a recording contract with RCA in 1958, and enjoyed a modest hit with “Friendship Ring.” He went on to appear in a slew of B movies such as The Girls from Thunder Strip and Zebra Force. Lindsay, never fully able to overcome his mother’s premature death, suffered from depression as she had. Three divorces and a turbulent breakup with his girlfriend led to his suicide on December 11, 1989. Lindsay was survived by four sons.

Although Bing demonstrated an active involvement in his sons’ professional careers, he once expressed to an interviewer his most ardent aspiration for his boys. “I just want them to be nice guys. I don’t care how big they are or how important. I’d just like them to be the kind that other people would like to have around. And I want them to be thoughtful of other people. I hate rudeness, thoughtlessness, and arrogance.”